


Just Luck

by angelwishes



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Romance, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Missions Gone Wrong, Qrow Branwen Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28583895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelwishes/pseuds/angelwishes
Summary: After a seemingly normal mission ends in an ambush, Qrow and Winter are left severely wounded. But as luck would have it, they are both rescued and soon find themselves taking shelter at the village of Shion. Now forced to spend several weeks there for recovery, the pair slowly discover there is more to the both of them than what meets the eye.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Winter Schnee
Comments: 15
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

“How much further?”

“Should be there soon.” Qrow’s eyes scanned over the small 3D map of Mistral displayed on his scroll before they trailed over to the woman in front of him. “Impatient already?” 

When she didn’t give a response, he merely scoffed, sensing her annoyance. Winter had already made it plainly obvious she just wanted this mission done with as soon as possible, and the feeling was mutual. Qrow honestly didn’t know how Ironwood and even Ozpin thought it would be a good idea to send them both on a mission together. She hated his guts, he hated her guts. How they would _ever_ make efficient partners was completely beyond him. 

And then there was the issue of his damn semblance. Ironwood and Ozpin were aware of it, yet they sent someone with him for the mission? He was used to traveling alone most of the time. Ozpin _knew_ he was capable of handling missions on his own, so why? 

But it was too late to do anything about it now, Qrow shrugged to himself. At least there hadn’t been any major issues with grimm they’ve encountered thus far. He prayed the entirety of the mission would remain that way, but that was just wishful thinking. Given he was a literal walking, talking bad luck charm, something was bound to happen with him around. 

Winter trudged on ahead to allow some distance between them, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the awful smell of alcohol that reeked from Qrow and began to pick up the pace. She hoped their destination was close. Their target was supposed to be residing in the town they were headed for according to General Ironwood’s reports, but would likely be on the move. The man’s abilities to evade authorities and any huntsmen sent to track him down made the mission all the more difficult, although, it really should not have been. She remembered the general informing them that while the man appeared to be some low-level criminal in Mistral, it was probable something much darker was going on. Huntsmen that were previously sent in an attempt to capture the bandit had all simply gone… MIA. 

“Hey,” Qrow’s voice snapped Winter out of her thoughts, “there’s a cliff over there. Maybe we should check it out and see if we could get a better view from up there.”

The woman looked in the direction he was gesturing towards before sighing, “Fine.” 

As she followed him to the edge of the cliff, the wind began to pick up the higher they climbed. She peered out ahead once they made it to the top, taking in all her surroundings. Vaguely, she could make out traces of buildings through the light fog.

“We should be close.” Winter stated, digging her heel into the ground as she prepared to activate a glyph. 

“Wait.” Qrow commanded and held out his arm, now standing perfectly still. A look of concern rushed over his features. 

“What is it now?” she inquired, attempting to hide her impatience.

“Don’t move.” His voice was firm as he drew his weapon. 

Winter looked puzzled for a moment, but obliged. The two waited in silence. 

Then, there came the crackings of several bullet rounds that filled the air, shooting out in all different directions. Qrow immediately jumped into action, twisting and spinning his sword to deflect the bullets being fired at them with immense speed. Winter utilized her glyphs to quickly leap away from the bullets headed straight for her, launching herself towards a man standing nearby and knocking him straight into the ground. She flipped her entire body skillfully, landing directly behind Qrow, and the two slowly backed into one another, their weapons held out defensively. They were surrounded.

“Well, well, well. Look what we’ve got here,” a man in a long black overcoat stepped out, a smirk playing on his lips -- their target. His voice sounded gruff, raspy, like he smoked a tad too many cigarettes. “Huh, they sent more huntsmen. A Schnee along with a rogue. Interesting,” he said, tossing a dagger up and down in his hand. 

“Seems like they’ll never learn, eh?” one of his men added cockily.

Qrow studied the men as they chuckled eerily along with their boss. 

_Raven’s men? No, no. That didn’t seem likely._

The man examined Qrow and Winter’s weapons from afar, his grin widening, “Those will sell for quite a fortune,” he remarked to the surrounding men, all of whom simply shrugged and mumbled something in agreement. 

Winter narrowed her eyes at the men, opening her mouth to speak, but what Qrow muttered under his breath stopped her. 

“So that’s how all those huntsmen disappeared. They were led here, then ambushed.”

“What-?” The woman questioned in disbelief, only to be interrupted by the obnoxious cackling of the criminals who managed to corner them.

“Looks like you huntsmen _finally_ got the hint,” the leader grinned and crossed his arms. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood, so how 'bout we strike a deal? Give up your lien and your weapons, and we’ll call it a day. Whaddya say, huntsmen?” 

Qrow scoffed. “Luck, huh? You don’t know the first thing about luck, pal.”

The man’s expression turned sour almost instantly, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Then, he turned to his minions, “Get them! And keep the Schnee alive!”

His henchmen rushed towards Qrow and Winter with stolen weapons in hand, ranging from knives, arrows, and spears to even dust-loaded pistols. They threw and struck their weapons with little care and fought like savages, each possessing mediocre skill at best. It was nothing the two fully-trained huntsmen couldn’t handle, but to other less experienced huntsmen, they would not be prepared for such an ambush. 

Winter ducked underneath the spear that had been thrown her way, activating yet another glyph -- this time to summon. A bright crystal blue glow illuminated the ground beneath her feet and began to swivel in circles. Some of the bandits glanced at each other and stepped back, looking concerned for what was about to appear. A large flock of nevermore whizzed out of the summoning glyph and bombarded the men surrounding her. Knowing they would not be able to see properly, she shot forward and swung her sabre at the men with shocking precision, sending a handful of them tumbling down the cliff. She was nearly caught off guard by someone tackling her to the ground, but Qrow had intervened, slicing through the bandits with his sword. He yanked the bandit off of her and tossed him to the side, kicking him square in the face, enough to knock him out but not kill him.

“Watch your back, Schnee!” he yelled, dodging yet another bullet. 

Now he was irritated. 

He brought Harbinger up and pulled the trigger, shooting the bandit’s gun right out of his hand. The man let out a small yelp in surprise.

Winter stood up and glared at Qrow, “I could have handled him just fine!” she protested. 

“Yeah, whatever you say.”

She merely sighed when the fight was over (which did not take any time at all, really), looking over to the man who attempted to capture her before as he lay unconscious on the ground. 

_The curse of being a Schnee_ , she thought bitterly. 

Of course they would want to take her alive to ransom her back to her father, or perhaps, the general. Not that they would have a chance either way. People always tended to underestimate her abilities because of her family name, one she no longer associated herself with. She supposed that did give her some sort of advantage.

“I need back-up right now, dammit!” Winter heard the leader shout into his scroll. She let out another sigh. The Mistral Police Force should be here any minute now… They were informed in advance about the situation and should at least be on standby.

Qrow made his way to the man -- now that he was vulnerable -- and mercilessly punched him in the face before he could even finish speaking to whoever was on the scroll, his expression indifferent despite a few bloodied teeth that flew out of the man’s mouth in the process. The man collapsed to the ground, groaning and holding his jaw in pain. 

Qrow looked him in the eye, “You’re going to tell us who the hell those men are. Clearly they weren’t yours. You hired them to ambush huntsmen.” 

The man smirked, dribbles of blood trickling from his nose, “I ain’t tellin’ you nothin-” 

He was cut off when Qrow grabbed him by the collar and thrusted him up against the tree, “Were they from the Branwen tribe? Are you working with Raven Branwen?”

“I’d rather die than give-"

Out of nowhere, there was rumbling. Qrow’s attention turned towards the ground. He noticed cracks that began to form along the soil and shot a look of concern to Winter, who looked about as confused as he was. Suddenly, the ground began to rattle violently, causing Qrow and Winter to nearly lose their footing from the shaking. 

“What was that?!” Winter yelled.

“Not an earthquake, that’s for sure!” Qrow retorted, his face twisting into a scowl at the man’s wicked grin. 

Deafening shrieks could be heard from the distance before several nevermore sprung into the air from seemingly nowhere. Numerous grimm rushed forward along with them, all headed straight for the cliff. Qrow and Winter stood and watched in horror as grimm rapidly flooded a majority of the forest, destroying everything in its path. Some nevermores perched itself atop the cliff, its screeches sending shockwaves rippling through the air. 

“Just my luck…” Qrow mumbled to himself, tightening his hold on Harbinger. 

A nevermore sped in Qrow’s direction. He got in position and waited for the giant bird to get close enough for him to reach. Harbinger’s gears shifted and the blade transformed into its scythe form, and he bolted towards the grimm. As soon as he leapt right above the bird’s head, he brought the scythe down, slicing directly through the nevermore’s neck and decapitating it. He continued to move swiftly, tearing down grimm after grimm. But he just _knew_ more were on their way. They’d never encountered a grimm horde this large before, not like this in the middle of Mistral. 

Without even realizing it, they had been fighting for a while. The only sounds that rang in Winter’s ears were the cries of grimm, bodies being torn, and her own breathing. She was struggling to keep up. Her breaths became more shallow and labored, the last of her summons disappearing once they managed to clear out the first batch of grimm.

_Just where was the Mistral Police?!_

“Hey, little lady.” A voice called out to her.

Her head snapped over to the man who had spoken to her, eyes widening. A new group of bandits stood behind the trees with devilish smiles plastered all over their faces. 

“Took you guys long enough!” the man on the ground shouted, wiping some blood off his nose. 

Winter stepped back and grit her teeth, her eyes darting back and forth between the second round of nevermore approaching the cliffs, and Qrow who was busy dealing with a pack of beowolves. 

_No, they couldn’t die here._

She contemplated making a run for it with Qrow, but her pride as one of Atlas’ best soldiers did not allow it. She refused to fail. She _could not_ fail. They had been so close to completing the mission. 

And so, she stood in position, narrowing her eyes at her opponents. One by one, the bandits began to sprint towards her and tried to strike her down with their swords, having given up on keeping her alive. However, they were practically no match against the specialist. She was able to leap out of the way fairly easily, dealing blows strong enough to strike them down with the hilt of her blade. 

But the main issue was her aura. It was depleting the longer she fought and used her semblance. She could not risk summoning without draining the remaining bout of aura. She breathed heavily, the muscles in her limbs beginning to tire. 

_Was her mind just playing tricks on her or was the fog getting thicker?_

Then, another bullet flew out from the trees. Winter mustered any strength she had left in her legs and sprung out of the way just in time. Sheens of sweat covered her forehead as she attempted to collect herself. 

But before she could even process what just happened, she heard Qrow yell “Ice Queen, get out of the way!” 

One millisecond was all she had. 

The gigantic nevermore she was distracted from collided straight into her body, the sheer force of the impact more than enough to throw her over the edge of the cliff.

Qrow watched the whole scene unfold, feeling his heart come to a complete halt. His expression slowly filled with nothing but terror. 

_No. No._

It was like everything was happening in slow motion. He swore he could see Winter’s very life flash before his eyes, her aura break rushing through her entire body like a wave. 

Before he could even realize, his legs began to move. 

“WINTER!” he cried out in desperation, bolting after the woman. 

He threw himself off the cliff without hesitation, reaching out his hand, praying he would be able to catch her arm and bring them back to safety. The mission didn’t matter, his own life didn’t matter. He couldn’t let anyone else die. 

As a last resort, he shifted into his avian form and dove down as if he were a bullet, flapping his wings hard against the wind in order to reach her.

By some miracle, his hand caught her arm after he shifted back into his human form. His hands trembled as his weapon once again transformed into a scythe. He thrust it into the side of the cliffs, hanging onto it for dear life. 

He breathed, his arms shaking. His eyes began darting back and forth between Winter and his weapon. 

_Please._ He prayed inwardly. _God, they couldn’t die. Not like this._

Garnering all the muscles in his arm, he tried to hoist them up by repeatedly jabbing the tip of his scythe into the sides of the cliff, but they were already too far down. It would be next to impossible to reach the top in their state. His limbs were already beginning to tire out. He doubted he could really lift them all the way back up no matter how hard he tried.

“Qrow…” he heard Winter’s whisper. 

“Just… Just hold on,” he choked out. 

_Exactly how long could he hold on for?_

Apparently, the question did not need to be answered, for fate had already decided to take matters into its own hands. The nevermore could be seen rounding the corner, letting out another piercing shriek before ramming its head into them. 

Qrow's grip on his weapon had become undone, his aura shattering, and the two began falling. 

Winter felt almost like her body had become a feather -- weightless. Her vision was still rather blurred, but for some reason she did not feel nervous. She simply accepted their fate.

This would be her demise, she supposed. 

Then, some strange warmth enveloped her body, and everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still in the process of figuring out what ideas I should incorporate into this fic, since it was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but I realized there was much more I could add. It shouldn't be too long of a fic though :) 
> 
> Anyway, I apologize for any inaccuracies that I may have regarding the characters/concepts. But as usual, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!


	2. Chapter 2

Winter’s eyes fluttered open with a start. Her vision was hazy at first, but once it cleared enough for her to see, she was able to discern the wood ceiling. She craned her neck carefully to the side for a better view of the room, noticing an antique nightstand by the bed with a lantern placed atop. There was also a wooden wardrobe and some paintings that decorated the white walls. Her eyes lingered momentarily, however, on a family portrait hung directly across from her. Right below it lay her sabre.

Winter shook her head.

 _This is definitely not the hospital,_ she thought, trying to sit herself up.

Her entire body felt like nothing short of _hell._ She could feel her head throb and a familiar soreness that enveloped her muscles. Slowly, her eyes began to wander downward as she took in the general condition of her body. Both of her arms were wrapped in bandages and a thin floral blanket was draped over her. She could barely move without feeling as though she had broken a hundred bones at once, which ironically, she probably did. 

“How are you feeling?” asked a soft voice. 

An elderly woman stood in the doorway, a cup of freshly-brewed chamomile tea in hand. A few creases along her forehead and her slightly sunken cheeks showed age, yet her eyes were a warm coffee color that emanated almost a youthful, motherly look.

Winter blinked, recollecting her thoughts. She tried to form a response, but to no avail. Instead, what came out sounded more like gasps for air. The older woman seemed to take the hint, setting down the warm cup of tea on the nightstand, merely walking over to the bed to help Winter sit up, and positioned a few pillows behind her back to minimize any pain and discomfort.

Winter eagerly took a few sips of the tea as the woman held it close to her lips, grateful for the woman’s assistance, and let the warm liquid soothe her throat. Once she felt her voice was full enough, she found herself asking, “...What… happened?” 

“A few travelers on their way back to the village found you unconscious at the bottom of the cliffs,” the woman spoke gently. “Since you clearly needed a place to recover with all those injuries, I figured I could allow you to rest here. It's the least I could do for huntsmen in need," she explained, almost casually. 

“Are you sure this… would not be an inconvenience to you?" 

“Of course not. We house huntsmen all the time, regardless of whether or not they were from this village."

"I see… thank you, madam."

"No need to thank me, dear." She went over to pin the curtains covering the window up, allowing sunlight to filter into the room. 

Winter’s eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden burst of light before turning her head to face the window, briefly admiring the scenery surrounding the house. She could see a couple of more houses down the path. The village’s flag, which had an aster tataricus flower painted onto it, hung proudly on one of the arches. 

They must be in Shion.

“And please, just call me Lian. No need for such formalities,” the old woman chuckled. “Now get some rest. I will prepare lunch for us.” 

Winter simply nodded and leaned back against the pillow, not wanting to strain her voice any further. She was more than appreciative of this woman’s help, even if she struggled to fully express it. If not for her or those travelers who happened to find- 

_Wait._

_“WINTER!”_

_Qrow._

A wave of panic rushed over her. 

“Hold on, where- where is Qrow?” Winter suddenly blurted out, fear flickering across her expression.

Lian turned around, confused as to who Winter was referring to at first, but realized she must have meant the man who had been with her. 

“He is resting in the other room, but unfortunately…” Lian trailed off, her brows furrowing. “He seems to be in a much worse condition than you were when we found him. I think he may have shielded you from the fall somehow.” 

Winter's eyes widened in shock. "He… did?"

"I could only assume based on his wounds. I was… honestly not sure if he would make it with the amount of injuries he had. Yours was already bad enough as is."

Winter fell back limply, her back hitting the pillows with a small thump. 

_Qrow had… shielded her from the fall?_

She hadn't expected that at all. Qrow Branwen, risking his own life in order to protect hers. She found it hard to believe. Each time they met, from the past up until now, they held nothing but animosity for one another. Yet, this time he had jumped to save her without hesitation.

Winter felt almost ashamed. She was barely able to hold her own against those bandits, and that had forced Qrow to put his life on the line. 

"Tell me, dear, before I forget, what is your name?" 

"...Winter," she replied, almost inaudibly. 

Lian nodded, feeling her worry. "He will be okay. Just give it a little more time."

* * *

Another week had gone by since then. Winter was finally able to walk again after being bedridden for several days. Although she had to be careful not to push herself too much, otherwise she may accidentally reopen any existing wounds, which meant that any sort of physical fighting would have to wait. At least, for a little while. Overall, she was in a more stable condition compared to Qrow, but that did not mean she was anywhere close to being fully recovered. Lian had insisted that Winter rest longer, but she _needed_ to get out of the house. Staying in one place left her drowning in her own thoughts -- as much as she did not wish to admit it. And so, here she was, running errands anytime an opportunity arose.

Shion was a rather quiet and peaceful community, more so than Winter expected. People were friendly, welcoming of travelers from other kingdoms. 

The settlement seemed to be doing quite well on its own despite how far they were from the main kingdom, which was remarkable in itself. Defenses were relatively low too, but the citizens seemed to make do, relying on local huntsmen to keep them safe. Winter found herself pleasantly surprised how fond she grew of the town over the weeks. 

She strolled down the flea markets that had been set up across various parts of the village, shutting her eyes momentarily and taking in the fresh air. She found the bustling of townspeople going about their day oddly therapeutic. Frankly, leisurely spending her days browsing the markets and taking long walks through town took a little getting used to. Military life had gotten her used to remaining on guard all the time, whether or not she was on duty. 

One of the main things she enjoyed about Shion was the openness of its land. It was practically located in the middle of nowhere, encircled by nothing but forest that stretched on for miles. She could see why it became such a popular camping destination. It was the perfect getaway. Because here, Winter was nothing more than a normal civilian attempting to blend in with the rest of the townspeople. She had even gotten rid of her military attire altogether for the time being, though she didn't have much of a choice in that regard, considering how much of it had gotten tattered during the fall. But she supposed she should be thankful it wasn't completely ripped to shreds. Lian had let her borrow one of her old cloaks that was worn over a pale green robe reaching as far as her ankles. Her usual bun was let loose and silvery strands were left to cascade freely down her shoulders.

"Here you go, Miss."

Winter picked up the bags to leave, "Thank you."

It was then a streak of black caught her eye.

Whipping around immediately, the Schnee could barely make out a man's figure amongst the mess of people.

She instinctively reached for her sword, which, under normal circumstances, would have hung on the right of her belt, but she hadn't brought her weapon with her this time.

By the time she looked back up, the man had already long disappeared into the crowd. 

Winter cursed under her breath.

_Was she just seeing things?_

* * *

“I’ve brought all the groceries, Mrs. Lian.” Winter announced, shutting the door gently and placing the bag of groceries on the counter.

“Thank you, darling. I hope it wasn’t too heavy.” 

“Not at all. I’m going to check on Qrow.” 

“Of course. I’ll brew us some tea in the meantime.” 

Winter proceeded to the bathroom to fetch a bowl of lukewarm water and a towel, bringing it carefully to Qrow’s room. Her expression immediately deflated upon seeing the man in bed. At first, the woman had maybe a glimmer of hope he would be a bit better today, but she was wrong. Again. He did not seem any better than yesterday, or even the days prior. His skin was paler than paper, save for his slightly reddened cheeks due to fever. Layers of bandages covered his body except for a small portion of his face, and his aura was only barely keeping him alive at this point. The only thing that indicated there was _any_ semblance of life left in him was his shallow, ragged breaths. 

Setting the items on the nightstand beside his bed, Winter pulled over a chair and took a seat, reaching over to dip the towel into the water. She squeezed the excess liquid out and gently dabbed his forehead with it to remove any sweat before draping it over his forehead, sighing heavily. Next, she pulled open the drawers for a new set of bandages, gauzes, and some disinfectant. First removing them from his torso, she began to disinfect the large gash on his abdomen, trying her best not to cringe when met with the week-old wound. In her time with the military, she had seen her fair share of blood and gore, but _this_ was infinitely worse. 

When her muscles started to ache, she leaned back against the chair, giving herself a moment to rest. Performing even the most mundane of tasks still proved to be difficult. Her aura was recovering at the rate of a snail, and she hated it.

For one, their mission had essentially been a complete failure.

According to official reports, the criminals they were fighting managed to escape after the unexpected grimm ambush.

Had it been a trap the entire time? What was she supposed to tell Ironwood? 

On top of it all, they had also gathered next to no information about the criminal’s whereabouts and motives, other than the fact he was leading a group of hired bandits, which meant they must have had to come from a third party. She doubted money was the sole reason behind the attack. Winter had her suspicions that the Branwen tribe may have an important role in all this, as they were one of the more _infamous_ tribes out there. She considered the possibility, too, that _someone else_ may have been pulling the strings all along. And that _someone_ should not be taken lightly, if true. However, she was not entirely sure if this was the case. 

The woman glanced over, tracing the particulars of Qrow’s features. Glacial blue eyes ran along his even jawline, taking note of the growing stubble. The tension in his brows relaxed a bit when she brushed aside some hair that had fallen over his eyes.

Thankfully, his breathing had become more stable within the past few minutes, but it did not seem to stop her mind from being swarmed with negative thoughts.

_What if he never woke up? What would she do then?_

No. She didn’t want to go there right now.

“For goodness sake,” a gentle voice interrupted her train of thought, “I told you not to worry about tending to his wounds.” 

“I apologize. Having you do everything would only make me a burden.” Winter answered flatly, steadying herself as she stood. “I would like to help as much as I can.” 

Lian shook her head, a smile making its way to her lips. “Ever so stubborn, are you?” She set the tray of food down on the nightstand. “Has his fever gone down at all?”

Winter’s face contorted at the question, a firm ‘no’ leaving her mouth. For a split second, Lian's dejection mirrored Winter's own. 

As much as Winter would like to believe her excessive worry over Qrow was well hidden, Lian had seen right through it. 

“He _will_ be okay." Lian put a hand on her shoulder as a means of reassurance. 

Winter lowered her head in defeat. “...I can only hope you are right.” 

That next morning, Winter remained in her bedroom, removing the old bandages around her arms. Wincing a bit as she cleansed her wound with disinfectant, she could only bite her lip while suppressing the pain. The wound on her right arm was her worst injury yet, and it was taking awfully long to heal. 

She pulled her sleeve over the wound to cover it up once she was done, gathering items needed to tend to Qrow's injuries.

The wooden tiles creaked against her slippers as she carefully padded up the stairs, careful not to wake Lian when passing by her room. 

Taking a deep breath, Winter gently turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. 

When a pair of crimson eyes gleamed back at her, she nearly dropped the tray of items.

"Qrow…" her voice was barely above a whisper. "You're... awake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the late update! It's really a struggle to get motivated sometimes. This chapter was a bit of downtime for Winter (God knows she needs it), but I hope it wasn't too boring. Things should start picking up again next chapter since Qrow is finally conscious again. Sadly the semester is resuming again in a week, so updates will probably be slowed, but I will try to update whenever I can! Thanks for the patience and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
> 
> As usual, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!


	3. Chapter 3

The two adults practically held their breaths as their gazes locked with one another, each unwilling to move a muscle. Winter had, ironically, been the first to break eye contact as she reluctantly approached the bed, but Qrow allowed himself a moment to take in her condition, finding himself relieved for the first time in a while.

Good, she was okay. Beaten up, but alive nonetheless. 

At least he managed to counter his awful luck with _some_ good. 

He noticed bandages wrapped securely around her neck. There were also some around her arms and they peeked out from under her long sleeves, extending all the way to her wrist, although he could tell she was actively trying to hide it.

"How are you feeling?" Winter started, shutting the door behind her. 

Unsurprisingly, her voice was devoid of any emotion, remaining just about as professional as she always kept it. Qrow honestly wasn't sure whether or not he should be disappointed.

"Like shit," he croaked out and leaned back against the bed frame. He tried to keep signs of pain from showing in his expression.

Winter reached for the cup of tea on the nightstand and handed it to him, "Here. It's gotten cold, but it'll do for now."

Qrow stared quizzically into the cup, an eyebrow perked at the sight of the liquid's unappetizing dark green color, but his throat was practically screaming for relief, prompting him to take a sip. His face automatically wrinkled up in disgust from the bitterness it left on his taste buds. "What the hell is this? You trying to poison me or somethin'?"

Winter resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She'd nearly forgotten how much of a manchild he could be. "It's herbal tea. Don't be such a child and just be grateful you have anything to drink at all."

"I'll pass," the man replied sourly, placing it back on the stand. His voice felt fuller now anyway. "Now would you mind explaining to me where we are?" he inquired gruffly, getting straight to the point.

"We are currently in Shion. A few travelers happened to find us and an elderly woman volunteered to let us take shelter here," she replied, carefully removing some of the bloodstained dressing around his waist. 

That had caught Qrow’s attention. He couldn't help but glance down at the gaping wound out of mere curiosity, a wave of dizziness suddenly hitting him from the sight of it. So his injuries were that bad, huh? 

"We have been here for nearly two weeks. You were in a coma. I was almost worried you would not wake," the woman continued. 

"Yeah, well, looks like you won't be able to get rid of me that easily. Besides, this is hardly the worst I’ve been through." Qrow jested, cracking a ghost of a smile. That had earned him a scowl. "What's with that look?" 

"You almost _died_ , Qrow," she asserted, practically staring him down.

His eyes narrowed. "Yeah, so did you. Your point?"

"Had you not decided to jump down that cliff to rescue me, you would have been fine. Those men would not have escaped."

"What are you talking about?" Qrow questioned, his voice raising an octave. "Are you saying I should've just left you to fend for yourself?"

He could've sworn he caught a small frown forming on her lips.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," she answered stiffly, as if she were reciting a script. "My life does not matter. There was a chance the mission could have been-"

"-could have been what?!" he cut in. _What the hell was Jimmy telling his soldiers?_ "Look, there was no way in hell I was going to walk off. I'm not some stone-cold sociopath, if that's what you see me as." 

Sure, Qrow could hardly call them friends, or even acquaintances. Heck, even enemies would be a better word to describe their relationship, but that sure as hell didn't mean he would leave her to die in cold blood. They were supposed to be allies after all, even if they refused to acknowledge so. And even though he could care less about what a Schnee's opinion of him was, it made him wonder if that was how people outside of his nieces saw him. 

Winter looked away, quieting.

Maybe it was best he kept it that way. 

The raven-haired male turned to the window with a heavy sigh, directing his attention on several trees stretched out across the village. His expression hardened.

His semblance was the main reason they ended up here to begin with. His uncontrollable curse of a semblance nearly led them both to their deaths, had it not been for some sliver of luck they had managed to survive the fall and get picked up by travelers. Really, all Qrow wanted was a safe trip through Mistral for once without his bad luck getting in the way of things, but he was foolish to believe that would happen. Sometimes it was astonishing he still found himself hoping for the best in the worst case scenario. 

Since he was young, he was told countless times a hero's semblance was his most powerful weapon, yet he saw his own as nothing more than a burden on himself and those around him, especially family. He’d much rather have no semblance than be stuck with his. 

“You know,” he began, breaking the silence. “It’d be best if you went back to Atlas after this. The sooner the better, I think."

Winter whipped her head up in disbelief, "Excuse me?"

"Once all of _this_ heals up," Qrow continued, glancing over the numerous bandages obscuring his wounds. "I'm going to search for that bastard on my own and finish the rest of this stupid mission, so you can do me a favor and let Jimmy know you don’t need to be here anymore. I work better alone, and I've been here enough times to know the ins and outs of Mistral."

“ _General_ ,” she corrected, glaring daggers at him. “What are you talking about? Are we not supposed to be working together on this mission? Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood-”

“Yeah, we _were_. Until we got ambushed, nearly fell to our deaths, and that thief we were supposed to catch managed to escape, you said it yourself. I don’t even know why they thought it would be a smart idea to put us on this mission together. Look how far making us work together got,” he murmured. “You’re not cut out for underground work, Winter. It’s best if you head on back home.” 

“Qrow," she snapped. “I am more than capable of-"

"You will only get in the way!" he fired back, a little more harshly than he meant to.

He had no doubts she was a capable fighter - an extremely skilled one at that - but the interference of his semblance would only cause more trouble for the both of them. She needed to get out of here before something even worse happened - something he wouldn't be able to prevent. It wasn't worth it for her to stay with him. He knew his words were harsh, but they were for her own good.

Winter blinked, taken aback. She looked completely offended by his words, maybe even slightly hurt by them. She stood abruptly, the wooden chair she had been sitting in screeching noisily against the floorboards as it slid backwards. 

"I do not need someone, especially you, to tell me whether or not I am competent enough to finish my duty," her voice was dangerously low, a far cry from what Qrow was accustomed to anytime she had an outburst. "Regardless of what you may think of my abilities, I will ensure this mission is completed, with or without your assistance." 

"Look, Schnee," he tried to reason, "that's not what I-"

"If you think I am in the mood to deal with your childish insults, you are _very_ wrong." 

Then, the door creaked open. Winter whirled around to see Lian in the doorway. The two had been caught in the midst of a staredown. Blinking in confusion, the elder woman took a short step back, "..Oh, dear. Did I come in at the wrong time?"

"No," came Winter's immediate reply. "I'll be going for a walk. Excuse me," she said coldly. With that, the woman spun on her heel and disappeared behind the door.

Stunned, Lian turned to Qrow, "I'm deeply sorry if I interrupted." 

Qrow raked a hand through his hair, sighing. He'd overdone it again. "It's fine, you didn't," was his response. "We just don't get along."

 _Because you push people away_ , a voice echoed. He crushed the thought.

"She was really worried about you, you know." 

Qrow peered up at the older woman, seeing the sincerity behind her eyes. He was almost tempted to believe it. Almost. "That's kinda hard to believe," he mumbled under his breath, looking away.

"She came to check on you every morning," Lian continued on as if he hadn't spoken, reminiscing her younger days. "It reminds me of the time I had fallen very ill. My husband refused to leave my side until he was certain I had gotten better," she chuckled.

"Did something happen?" Qrow was unable to stop himself from asking. 

"He was a huntsman, one of our village's best, actually," she recalled proudly. "Unfortunately, he passed away on a mission many years ago."

"I'm sorry."

Qrow knew the life of a huntsman well. It was a dangerous profession that constantly made you pick between life or death. 

If you had a family waiting for you, were you willing to risk your life?

After he and Tai were left to look after Ruby and Yang on their own, they had chosen to leave their positions, taking up teaching at one of the huntsman academies instead, as that would be the safer option. It wasn't until his nieces had grown up that he decided he could return to the frontlines on Ozpin's behalf. Tai, on the other hand, still remained home, even now. Not that he blamed him at all. Because when Summer didn't come home, that changed things.

"Don't be," she responded, giving him another smile. "My son comes to visit from time to time, you needn't worry. He works all the way in Argus." 

"You didn't move in with him?" 

"I prefer living out here. Shion will always be my home." Smiling, she placed a hand over his forehead, "Ah, your fever's gone down significantly already."

Feeling unnerved by her touch, Qrow recoiled a bit. "Uh, yeah. I feel a lot better already," he lied, regardless of the burning sensations around his midsection. It was still nothing compared to what he'd already been through over the course of his huntsman career.

Lian shot him a dubious look. "If you're in pain, please don't hesitate to tell me. I have painkillers if you ever need them."

"Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine." Qrow hadn't removed his gaze from his hands. 

Pain, huh? The physicality of it was almost laughable. 

No, he was in a different kind of pain. 

One he doubted any painkiller would ever be able to alleviate.

* * *

_"I assure your daughter will be left alone, so long as you cooperate." A woman with glowing amber eyes emerged from the darkness. The patterns on her red dress illuminated parts of her figure._

_"How- How the hell do I know I can even trust any of you?!" the man slowly backed away, his back pressing against the wall. He turned towards it in realization, terror painting his eyes._

_Her accomplices stepped into view, practically cornering him now. The young girl with crimson eyes spoke up, sounding somewhat nonchalant, although it wasn't exactly directed towards him. "It was kind of a shame… She honestly baked good apple pie. I tried some of it before we left."_

_"Yeah, well," the boy next to her was speaking now. "A job's a job," he shrugged._

_"What the hell are you two talking about?!" the man shouted, pointing his dagger at them._

_"Quiet." The amber-eyed woman snarled, causing the two with her to quiet abruptly before she proceeded to speak again. "Russell, was it? We hear you have a knack for finding huntsmen," she paused, her lips curling into a sly smile. "Sadly, these two took it upon themselves to kill your wife, even though I wanted her alive. I am truly sorry about that."_

_"But Cinder-!" the girl protested before getting cut off._

_"You bastards!" he cried out, lunging for them, only to be knocked down right after. The dagger had flown out of his hand, landing towards the opposite side of the warehouse._

_The boy rested his hands on his hips, "If you want to live, I suggest you quit resisting."_

_Russell grunted in pain, clutching his arm. Cinder sighed, growing impatient. These days, it became harder to find people who would simply cooperate. None of them were nearly as gullible and easy to manipulate as Lionheart. Well, she supposed it would be no fun if they had all been the same way. "I'm giving you two weeks. Find the huntsmen. Kill them. And your daughter will remain unharmed," she spoke sweetly, yet venom dripped off her words._

_"..Fine," he croaked. "Just leave my daughter out of it… please."_

_"Oh, come now. I'm not one to break promises," she cooed, a tiny flame bursting above her hand._

_After all, every human was the same. Threaten what they love, and they will be sure to do whatever it took to protect it._

Raven Branwen turned when she heard footsteps, spotting a group of men approaching her camp. _About time they showed up_ , she thought to herself. To her surprise, most of them appeared to be quite injured. There were also fewer of them compared to how much she originally provided. The huntsmen they fought must have put up a decently good fight. Though, maybe she should just be grateful most had made it out in one piece.

Strutting down the steps below her tent, Raven casually placed a hand on her hip as the men neared. "Well?" she demanded dryly.

The other man wiped blood off his mouth with his sleeve, presumably in an effort to make himself look a bit more presentable in front of the tribe leader. "Here," he said begrudgingly, tossing the remainder of the lien he collected into her hand. 

"That's it?" Raven's eyes narrowed at the pathetic amount of money he had given her as compensation. 

"Look, I already paid upfront and returned the rest of your men. What more did you want?"

"I lent you a good amount of my men this time around, many of which ended up dying in your possession, and _this_ is all I get in return? I'm disappointed, Russell. I expected better," she spoke, undoubtedly displeased.

Russell clicked his tongue, irritated. " _Listen_ , I didn't expect those damn huntsmen to be able to take every one of us at once. Luckily for us, some grimm horde came outta nowhere so we managed to get out. Either way, I'm sure they're long dead. There's no way they could've survived that attack."

Raven pocketed the lien, sighing at his obvious excuse. A failure would always be a failure. "The next time this happens, I'm going to have to reconsider our partnership," she stated, turning on her heel, and began to walk off. 

"Hey!" Russell's hands balled into fists. "We're not done here!"

Raven met his lanky stature once more through the corner of her eyes. "I believe we had an agreement on this matter."

Ignoring her, he added, "Y'know, if you joined us, things would go much easier. I ain't the fighter here," Russell brought up, wrinkling his nose. "If I help you track them down, we would easily-"

"Raiding individual huntsmen would take up too much of my time, which is why I agreed to your offer in the first place," Raven interrupted. "Huntsmen rarely carry more than a couple of valuable goods, and that's only assuming we're lucky. Villages, on the other hand, have more than enough of what we need. Your addition was merely a bonus."

"Raven."

The woman looked back to see who had called her name. When she saw it was Vernal who had stepped out of the tent, her arms lowered steadily to her sides.

"We have a visitor," Vernal announced.


	4. Chapter 4

Qrow jolted awake in bed. The sudden movement caused his entire body to spasm painfully. He doubled over, breathing in and out as many times as he could to calm himself down. _It was just a nightmare,_ he assured himself, feeling his heart thump wildly against his chest. He glanced over at the clock, realizing he had fallen asleep for several hours now.

"That's enough sleep for one day…" Qrow muttered and carefully slid his legs off the edge of the bed. Being stuck in this room all day was the last thing he needed. Fresh air could do some real good right now, especially after _that._

Using the bed frame as support, he made his best effort to stand despite how shaky his legs were after being confined in bed for so long. He probably shouldn't be out and about like this, but screw that at this point. He took a few small steps, nearly stumbling over when he got too brave, but had managed to catch himself before he could actually fall. And with some exertion, he finally made it out of his room.

By the time he got downstairs, he noticed the house was virtually empty. A note was laid out on one of the tables in the living room from Lian. On it, Lian had written she would be out for a while to run some errands.

Which reminded him...

Had Winter still not come back yet?

Then again... what else did he expect? He had pissed her off intentionally in hopes of getting her to leave, but that backfired pretty much instantly. She was as stubborn as ever, just like Ironwood and every other Atlasian he'd ever met. He should've known she wouldn't have taken no as an answer and it was stupid of him to bother trying without escalating the situation.

Still, he was worried. What he said had definitely crossed the line. He wouldn't be surprised if it was the last thing she needed to push her over the edge. Because taking a "walk" couldn't possibly take this long, unless… He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out his scroll, surprised to see the device was still intact and fully functional, albeit a bit damaged on the outside. He opened up his list of contacts and scrolled through it to find Winter's.

* * *

 _Fine_. _Absolutely fine._

If Qrow didn't think she was competent enough for this job, that was his problem, not hers. She didn't _need_ him to complete the mission. She could very much handle everything on her own. He was nothing more than baggage anyway.

Throughout their trip across Mistral on foot (to remain inconspicuous, of course), his drinking habits had become downright intolerable: constantly stopping for drinks at pubs, getting into fights with other drunken men, disappearing for hours on end in the middle of the night - things definitely spiraled out of control for most of the duration of their travels. Winter lost her patience with him on multiple occasions, but this was the last straw.

It was only because the general had been so insistent on her working with Qrow for this mission that she agreed to it in the first place, otherwise there was absolutely no way she was going to put up with his antics. She was the one to keep him in line, and it was unlikely they would have made it this far had she not been there.

And now he had the audacity to tell her that _she_ had been the deadweight? How dare he. Back at the house, she was almost amazed at how calmly the words had flowed out of her mouth because she was utterly _fuming_ at the time.

Under normal circumstances, she might've simply gotten into another shouting match with him, but this time, she held it together longer than she thought she could.

Maybe she was just tired. Tired of people telling her she was not enough - that she would _never_ be enough no matter what she did. Qrow was one of those people who didn't take her seriously, choosing to mock her when the opportunity arose, just like her own father, despite working hard to get where she was now.

Of course, Winter was fully aware she hadn't performed her absolute best in their encounter with the enemies, unlike Qrow whose ego constantly loomed over his head. However, she refused to allow herself become despondent over a few petty words.

And so, she decided she may as well continue their mission herself, given Qrow would be no help either way. If she didn't find those group of bandits soon, who knew how many more huntsmen they would kill. But first, she needed to develop a plan. Perhaps her best bet would be to ask around and gather info. Surely there had to be an inn nearby, or at least another village she could stop by in.

Pulling a hood over her head, Winter made certain her ivory locks were well hidden as she followed the dirt road through the empty forests. Attracting unwanted attention while she was wandering the area alone was the last thing she needed. These parts were known to harbor all types of fugitives after all. And while she didn't exactly find Lian's clothing the type of garment she would normally wear, it did a good job of allowing her to blend in more easily with Mistral's inhabitants. Otherwise, she would've stuck out like a sore thumb.

She fished for her scroll in her pocket to pull up some sort of map she could use for navigation. That was, until a message popped up on her screen from Qrow asking where she was. It seemed the text was sent nearly two hours ago. Service wasn't the greatest outside the kingdom, so she must have received it much later. Her finger hovered over the reply button for just a second, contemplating whether or not she should answer him.

She shook her head.

 _No._ She didn't need his help.

"Well I'll be damned. She sure as hell won't be happy when she finds out we failed to get what she wanted," a gravelly voice had captured Winter's attention.

"An' yer takin' the blame, yeaah?" another voice slurred.

She quickly snapped out of her momentary daze, hearing a couple of muffled voices head in her direction and instinctively darted behind a tree as a group of men walked past, failing to notice her. She wondered who exactly they were referring to. But those voices… they sounded oddly familiar.

Once the realization had caught up to her, a frown spread across her lips. _Oh, how convenient_ , she thought _._ Those were the same buffoons from the ambush _._

Well, then. There went any chance of establishing some sort of plan. She may not receive another chance like this if she didn't follow them now. Wherever they were going, it was likely they were heading back to their hideout.

Fine. She decided she would gather as much information as she could for now and leave. Once her aura was completely replenished, she would be able to return and deal with them herself.

When the men were a good distance ahead, the specialist silently trailed after them, remaining on guard in case anyone attempted to sneak up on her from behind. For once, she was thankful she wasn't in her usual high-heeled boots, as it made stealth much easier. Given that it was not her forte to begin with.

Minutes spent walking felt like hours, and Winter began to wonder just how far they had traveled. One thing she picked up from their conversation, although, was their apparent dread to confront someone - a woman in particular. She sincerely hoped it would not be who she thought. It would only make matters more complicated than they already were.

In due time, they finally arrived at a clearing in the middle of the wilderness and another dirt path leading straight ahead. As if the weather mirrored Winter's mood, storm clouds had rolled in and it even began to rain a little, a direct contrast from the clear skies just a few hours ago.

Right. If she remembered one thing from her travels to Mistral, it was the abundance of rain they received. At least it meant she could worry less about noise with the rain drumming over it.

"Ay, open up!" the man in black shouted at the men guarding the front gates.

Oh, wonderful _._ There were even _more_ of them. Now it would be next to impossible to sneak in without being noticed. Perhaps there was a way in through the back? Or maybe she could use summons to deter the bandits guarding the front, though it would drain a significant amount of aura when it was already low. No, she needed another plan.

She waited for the bandits to be let in and circled around to the back. Activating a glyph beneath her feet, Winter launched herself off the platform and over the enormous stockade fence enclosing the main camp. Rows and rows of tents were set out across the space, many of which appeared to be empty. Bottles of alcohol, much to Winter's disgust, lay carelessly on the ground, some shattered, others unopened. Crates of loot sat in front of a number of tents and a few of them had the SDC logo printed on it. But what was perhaps the worst of it all, were the large cages in the back of the camp with cloth draped over them. Winter didn't even want to imagine what those cells could possibly be used for.

Either way, once she got out of this place, she could inform the local authorities about the location of this bandit camp. For now, she would remain and observe, cautiously treading up the hill leading into the main area. However, she couldn't get too close because she may be discovered, so she retained her distance, close enough to see what was going on, but far enough away that if she _were_ to be discovered, she could easily escape.

Winter carefully unsheathed her blade to avoid making any noise and peered out from behind a tent. The men were speaking to someone, but she couldn't quite catch a glimpse of who it was from where she was standing. Deciding she needed a closer look, she began to inch her way near the center. There had to be another reason they were killing huntsmen, and she had to find out.

"And where might you be going?"

Winter froze. She gripped the handle of her sabre guardedly, realizing she had been caught red-handed. Before she could react any further, the woman with a grimm's mask and heaps of feathery hair sauntered over with a hand on her hip as if she'd been expecting her this whole time. Winter knew exactly who she was: Raven Branwen. Despite never having truly met Raven in person, she'd heard a lot of stories about her.

Years ago, she was a part of one of Beacon's most renowned teams, team STRQ, led by Summer Rose. Except Winter had no idea what led to the ex-huntress' fall from grace. Upon the team's graduation, Raven simply left her team behind and abandoned her duties without looking back, choosing to live out the rest of her days in a bandit tribe and essentially abandoning her daughter and husband. That was to the extent she knew about Raven and STRQ as a whole.

"How'd she get in?!" some of the bandits approached with their weapons raised.

"Clearly she followed you idiots all the way back." Raven retorted, her brows furrowed in mild vexation. "All of you stay back. Check the rest of the camp for any other intruders. Vernal and I can handle this one," she told her men calmly and they backed away without another word. _So it seemed she was not only a part of a bandit tribe, but was their leader as well._

Winter simply narrowed her eyes at the women standing before her. _This wasn't good._ There was no way she could take on an entire bandit tribe alone in her condition, and the extent of Raven's abilities were still unknown. The same applied to Raven's right-hand, Vernal.

Raven folded her arms over her chest and surveyed Winter up and down, seeming rather amused with the situation, if anything. "So," she began. "What could possibly bring a Schnee of all people to these parts?"

Winter eyed Raven's every movement closely, as she did with Vernal. She refused to let them make a mockery of her. "I'm afraid that's classified."

"You do realize you're completely outnumbered," Raven continued, watching Winter's expression intently. "It'd be wise to cooperate."

Winter frowned and stepped back, scouring the grounds once more for the possibility of another opening.

"Just give it up, Schnee. We've already got you cornered," Vernal interjected. "Though, I'm honestly surprised the General only sent one of his little tin soldiers this time around."

When Winter didn't give a response, Raven scoffed. "Alright then. Vernal, lock her up. We'll deal with her tomorrow. We have more important things to worry about," she ordered, turning away.

"Of course, ma'am."

Just as Vernal reached for Winter's arm, the glint in Winter's eyes had disappeared as she shot forward, directing the tip of her blade at Vernal's neck. Vernal reacted almost immediately and whipped out her circular blades to block the attack, her teeth clenched in anger. Winter took the opportunity to propel herself over the fence, luring them away from the rest of the camp so she had a better chance at taking them down, knowing they would follow. She knew they wouldn't let her escape, but she wouldn't be going down without a fight. Soon after landing, she broke into a sprint and headed deeper into the forest where they would have more space to fight. Although, she needed to be careful not to lead them towards any villages.

She nearly lost her footing mid-run when a bright laser barely missed her torso and she was able to evade the beam with the help of a platform glyph. As a result, the laser ended up tearing straight through several trees in her vicinity, all of which began to topple down at once, crashing into the ground with an extremely loud thump that echoed throughout the entirety of the forest. Winter did her best to maneuver out of the way as the trees collapsed, her heart drumming against her chest. She could sense her stamina growing weaker due to the amount of injuries she had sustained previously, putting her at a major disadvantage.

When she felt her opponents were a good distance away, she stopped behind a pile of fallen trees and knelt down onto the ground, digging her blade into the dirt. A glyph appeared directly under and its intricate blades began to swivel simultaneously at an increasing rate. Then, a white crystalline manticore emerged from the circle.

"Vernal!" Raven yelled, warning her tribe member of the impending attack, but it had been a second too late before a ball of fire hurled at her. Its brute force collided directly with Vernal's stomach and sent her flying back.

Any trace of mercy left in Raven vanished as she pulled out her sword and went after the creature, utilizing the trees as platforms to climb higher into the air. Once she was somewhat level with the manticore, she rushed towards it and thrusted her sword into its upper body, guiding it through to its rear. With a piercing shriek, the creature burst into whitish-blue dust. Following her landing, Raven was met with another strike of Winter's blade. The older woman parried it, reflexively, and countered the strike with another, the two women's swords clashing against one another.

Raven advanced, forcing her sword further onto Winter's. The corners of her lips curled into a villainous smile once she realized she was quickly overpowering her in strength. But Winter had been first to break the contact, swiping her foot under Raven's in an attempt to throw off her balance. She proved to be relentless. Winter twisted her sword, hand springing away to avoid getting hit.

This time, when she regained a bit of distance, she summoned a pack of beowolves, but they were instantly torn down by Vernal's lasers. This had given Raven the perfect opportunity to land a swift hit on Winter. She aimed for Winter's chest, slashing her sword, and when Winter attempted to move out of the way, she found her feet encased in ice.

Winter felt her side slam against a tree and she collapsed onto the ground, her sabre falling to her side. She staggered as she stood and reached to pick up her weapon. That blow would've been fatal had it not been for her aura's protection. Pressing the trigger between the hilt and the guard, another of the same blade was pulled out from within. She curled both hands securely around the hilt of her twin sabres and lunged forward without a second thought, unable to control the rage sweeping through her. Raven easily flipped away, aware she and Vernal were gaining the upper hand.

Vernal leapt back into combat, belting Winter over the head with the bottoms of her blades. Winter bore the sudden blow, caught off guard by the attack. Her vision fogged for a moment before she blinked it away and dove forward once again. Raven had jumped in front of Vernal, kicking Winter back with her heels, which Winter managed to block as she slid across the dirt. She tilted her sabres and thrashed it upward as Raven sprung overhead, slashing across her chest. Raven dodged the blow and ricocheted off another tree, tackling Winter to the ground.

"That was a low blow earlier, even for a Schnee," Vernal sneered, dusting her clothes off. "But I will say, fitting semblance you have there, forcing something else to fight for you."

"Be quiet," Winter seethed, pushing herself off the ground. Her head was beginning to spin.

"Well? Had enough yet?" Raven challenged, lifting her sword.

"Far from it," Winter bit back.

Then, gunfire echoed through the space. Raven jerked away from multiple bullets that whizzed by her head, narrowly dodging them. Qrow landed on one knee, his sword-gun-scythe combo clutched in one hand. He lifted his head as he stood, eyes concentrated solely on Raven. Even Vernal had taken a few steps away from the scene.

Recognizing who had fired at her, Raven finally removed her grimm mask, revealing the same vermilion eyes Qrow possessed. Fine lines under her eyes demonstrated age.

She smirked, sheathing her sword. "Why hello, little brother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feeling a bit iffy about this chapter, but I tried my best haha. Sometimes what you imagine in your head translates completely differently when you actually write it out. I also would've loved to write more of Raven using her maiden powers, but she can't use them full-on otherwise it'll raise suspicions. 
> 
> Anyways, I'd like to thank everyone who commented! Let me know how you thought of the chapter!


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